Just Real Madrid News

The Spanish cup final tonight is the last chance for Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho to finish the season in a positive way and they are favourites to do so. Tonight’s opponents and fierce city rivals Atletico Madrid are determined to spoil that, however, and their Argentinean coach Diego Simeone has got his players believing.

Atletico have not lost many games this season, especially at home, but they have lost both La Liga games against Real. Despite this, and the fact that tonight’s final is at the Bernabeu, Simeone knows that anything can happen in a one-off match.  ......Read more...

The question for Jose Mourinho to answer is whether he really wants to leave Real Madrid having just won the Copa Del Rey, or is it more important to him to assert his authority. We will know on Friday when Real Madrid and their city rivals Atletico run out onto the Bernabeu pitch for the Spanish cup final.

Mourinho publicly slammed his Portuguese central defender Pepe after Pepe said that Iker Casillas deserved more respect than he was getting. Mourinho replied by saying that Pepe was only upset because he had lost his place to the 20-year old French defender Rafael Varane.  ......Read more...

Jose Mourinho and his careless statements are causing a serious problem in the Real Madrid dressing room. The Portuguese manager is tossing verbal grenades into the Spanish media as if it was the Normandy landings. Mourinho has always done things his own way, tending to surprise journalists with his comments, but he has usually been charming and amusing. Now, the special one is in danger of damaging his reputation, because the way he is behaving is lacking in class.  ......Read more...

It was not just the fact that Real Madrid beat Barcelona at their own ground, but the comprehensive manner in which the victory was achieved that will have sent a stark warning to Manchester United. The situations are very similar. Both are two legged affairs, with the first leg at the Bernabeau ending all square at 1-1. If Real Madrid can get somewhere near the level of performance they produced at the Camp Nou last night, then United are going to struggle to live with them.  ......Read more...

I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that Jose Mourinho has had an absolute nightmare with injuries for Real Madrid this season. Since it began last summer, Mourinho has hardly ever been able to select from a full squad and this can be seen in the gap to Barcelona in the Primera Liga. This also means that the Copa Del Rey and the Champions league have taken on an even greater significance than usual for Los Blancos and the special one, because a season without trophies is unacceptable at a club like Real Madrid.  ......Read more...

Real Madrid have had plenty of problems with injuries this season, especially in defence, but it is disciplinary issues which are causing Jose Mourinho problems this weekend. Two of the most important players for the Spanish champions are unavailable for the trip to Pamplona to play Osasuna.

Christiano Ronaldo has been the most influential player by far for Los Blancos this season, but he received his fifth yellow card of the season against Real Sociedad last weekend so is suspended for today’s match. At least Mourinho has his two other strikers, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema, available after the Argentinean has recovered from his hamstring problem.  ......Read more...

Despite playing a strong side, Jose Mourinho had to watch his Real Madrid team play second fiddle to a skilful and hard working Celta Vigo in the Spanish version of the FA cup, the Copa Del Rey, last night. As the rain fell in Vigo, so did the spirits of the Madrid players and fans. It could have been much worse for them, but a late goal from Ronaldo and the prospect of a second leg at the Bernabeu averted complete disaster.  ......Read more...

Real Madrid have some injury worries for the crucial Champions League game against group leaders Borussia Dortmund. With the left backs Marcelo and Coentrao out, Mourinho will be glad to have his right back, Arbeloa, available but will play him at left back tonight. Sergio Ramos will play at right back, as he used to do for Sevilla, and 19-year old Varane will partner Pepe in the centre.

Dortmund have good attacking power, with Reus, Gotze and Lewandowski, so Mourinho will be keen to keep them on the defensive, but he will have to do it without the French international Karim Benzema. The striker has a hamstring problem, so the central striker role will fall to Gonzalo Higuain.  ......Read more...

Jose Mourinho will not want any more international games for some time, after losing three defenders during this break. Both of the central strikers for Real Madrid also picked up knocks but they are not as serious.

Having already lost Marcelo for three months and Coentrao for a month, Mourinho was having to think about shifting around his remaining defenders to accommodate. Last night we lost our right back Arbeloa to a muscle problem and he could be out for three weeks.  ......Read more...